


Fireball

by lavery



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Aarons POV, Andrew has a cat, But everyone thinks it boring, Drake is mentioned, First Meetings, Healthy Twinyard bonding, Implied Child Abuse, Kevins here for one second, M/M, Magic, Not in any detail, Really Stupid Plot, just for fun, nothing graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-07 03:04:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18401804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavery/pseuds/lavery
Summary: Andrew has a cat named Fireball, but what secrets could the cat be hiding? Apart from that it knows how to open the fridge and steal food. Aaron discovers more about himself and his brother. And the goddamned cat.





	Fireball

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! If you are reading this thank you! Hope you enjoy, basically Andrew has a cat and he and Aaron bond and look after each other. And the cat ;).

Aaron Minyard was 13 years, 6 months, 26 days and 18 minutes old when he met his twin brother. Technically, he supposed, he had “met” Andrew when they were in the womb. And then when they were born. And for the few days he assumed they were in the hospital before his mother split them up. 

Tilda Minyard was not anywhere on the Top Ten Best Mothers list, not only because she gave up her twin sons and then relented and only chose one to raise, but because her raising of that son had been pretty terrible. Objectively. She was still Aaron’s mother. And Andrew’s even if he didnt see it that way. She had been feeding Aaron pills for as long as he could remember, some of them from a little wooden box on her bed side table which must have been softer than most of what he was taking because they seemed to have no effect at all. They certainly didnt stave off withdrawal symptoms as Aaron was finding out, standing in the sweltering Columbia sunshine of late may in a long sleeved shirt waiting for Andrew to arrive with his....escort? Caseworker? Aaron didn’t know, his mother hadn’t seen fit to inform him.

Aaron had been forced to attend a baseball game in Oakland with his mother and her next prospective boyfriend/victim in early October, before his 13th birthday. They’d all been very confused when a short, dumpy police officer had waved hello to Aaron, started calling him Andrew and enquiring after a woman called Cass. When the officer, who had afterwards introduced himself as Phil Higgins, had noticed their confusion he’d asked for Tilda’s name and details about “Aaron’s case” Aaron didnt have a case as far as he knew. Tilda didnt seem to know either but she’d been very flustered. Aaron assumed it was because of the police crashing her first date but he now knew it was because of Andrew. 

A few days after, the phone had rung and Aaron had raced upstairs to listen on the phone in Tilda’s bedroom. He sometimes wished he hadn’t so he could be living in blissful ignorance. 

Tilda had answered snappishly, angry about her morning dosage being interrupted, “What do you want?” she spat into the reciever. 

“Hello.” Phil Highins answered calmly. “Its Officer Higgins here, from the baseball game.” He paused as if expecting confirmation, when none was forthcoming he carried on, “I would have phoned earlier but theres been a...change in Andrew’s situation. I looked into his and Aarons files and I believe that you did not adopt Aaron and are, in fact, both boy’s biological mother, yes?” 

Tilda grunted in unwilling admitance. 

“I was originally going to propose a meet up for the boys to get to know each other however, Andrew has recently been removed from his foster home and is in temporary care. He has been in hospital for the past week. He is now a witness for the prosecution in the trial of his foster brother who has been charged with rape, gross bodily harm, sexual assault on a minor and extortion. He will not be rehomed until the trial has finished, I could still arrange for Aaron to meet if he wants, but-”

Aaron hung up the phone in shock. He didnt want to hear anymore or have to think about any of the information he had just learned. He curled up under his blanket and didn’t emerge till the next morning.

He had spent the hours debating if he wanted to meet Andrew. On one hand he had always wanted a brother to play with and help him deal with his mom. On the other hand it sounded like Andrew had had a horrific time in foster care and might hate Aaron for getting to stay with their mom. Even if she wasn’t the best. Andrew might not even want to meet him. Aaron eventually decided that he’d say yes and see what Andrew wanted. 

When he emerged from his short hibernation he expected Tilda to sit him down and tell him. That’s what would happen if his life was an on the nose sobriety film. Realistically, he expected Tilda to mutter it at him and then flee the premises. Instead, she sneered at his appearance, told him to take a shower and clean up the kitchen. Then she left. She never mentioned the phone call. 

Two weeks later Tilda had announced that she had sold their tiny apartment and was moving them to Columbia. She said it was to be “closer to her family” but since she hadn’t even sent a christmas card for four years, Aaron suspected it was to avoid any responsibilty that Higgins might pressure her to take on Andrew. 

She had never mentioned the phone call, clearly hoping Aaron would forget about the cop who mistook him for someone else. And that the move to columbia would distract him even further. Unfortunately for her Higgins had other ideas. 

They’d moved into their new bungalow on a Thursday. On Sunday, Luther Hemmick had decided they’d had enough time to unpack (Tilda had scrabbled around the boxes for her prescription bottles and the wooden box of pills, and given up there) and invited them to his church service. Aaron hadn’t been to church for a while, either he or his mom were too busy getting high. 

The church where Luther was a minister was a squat, one story, concrete block painted white to make it more angelic. The inside was carpeted in pale blue with whitewashed walls and hard wooden pews in perfect lines. The windows were small and high up letting in barely any of the weak November light, Maria flicked a switch and the strip lights slowly flickered and stuttered to life. Aaron and Tilda took seats on the first row while Luther positioned himself in the pulpit. Maria and Nicky were unwrapping small platters of food and preparing water and juice in the tiny kitchen at the back. 

Aaron was pretty sure he and his mom had the same non-experience inside the church. Luthers words faded and merged with the buzzing of the lights, the congregations coughs and shuffles a sharp staccato against the white noise walls being drawn up round Aaron’s head. He started sweating as the pills he’d taken earlier started to wear off under Luther’s holy stare. His skin started to itch against the cheap polyester pants he was wearing and his eyes started to water at the dust raised from the carpet by the congregation’s stampeding feet. Luther was tirading against who and whatever he chose, his rage twisting his argument into knots no one could follow, his arguments splitting and looping back round in endless spirals of percieved supremacy.

Eventually it ended and Aaron found himself on the Hemmick’s porch. Maria served up a salad in a big blue bowl and pitchers of water with a measly slice of lemon in them. Luther presided, demanding everyone’s opinions of his so-called sermon. Aaron offered empty platitutedes and picked at the green leaves on his plate. He’d already eaten all of the red peppers and sweetcorn. Nicky sat in morose silence next to him, and although he emptied his plate he didnt look like he tasted anything. 

Once Maria had cleared the plates, sending a disapproving look at Aaron’s left over veg, she brought out a bowl of mixed berries and bowl of whipped cream. Luther decided this heralded the beginnings of serious matters. 

“Tilda.” His face was blank but his tone disapproving, Aaron felt dread creep up his spine. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d had twins?” 

Tilda gaped at the airing of a not so little dirty secret she’d been keeping for thirteen years. She could not seem to come up with an explanation under Luther’s hardened stare and Maria’s quiet dissapproval. 

“Officer Higgins contacted me when he found out you’d moved away and left no forwarding address. He explained to me Andrew’s....situation. I told him that of course you’d be happy to take him in after the trial. Now that you’re closer to us and we can help you manage everything.” Luther smiled as if he was doing her a great kindness. 

Tilda looked as if she was going to pass out, but she managed a faint, “Of course. Thank you.” Before standing and muttering something about getting back to sort out the house. Then she dragged Aaron away to her very old, very beat up car and drove home the way Aaron imagined a coked up raccoon would drive. 

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year and Easter all passed before Andrew arrived in Columbia. Now it was late May and they were waiting at arrivals for Andrew. 

When he emerged he was accompanied by Officer Higgins and a small orange cat. 

“Ms Minyard.” Officer Higgens greeted her with distant politeness, he smiled warmly at Aaron though. “Aaron, hello! Nice to see you again. This is Andrew and Fireball.” He indicated the cat which was curled up in Andrew’s arms. “Fireball is Andrew’s emotional support cat.” 

Fireball yawned and looked at Aaron, it had pale blue eyes and darker ginger striper along its body. The hair on its face and ears was soft creamy orange and it toe pads were a pale pink. Done with it’s assessment, it curled up and went to sleep again. Typical cat. 

Andrew himself was rather like a cat. He had a perfectly blank face, all emotions smoother off it like a piece of glass in the sea. His skin was a shade paler than Aaron’s, he clearly hadn’t been soaking up the sun for the past month. His hair was cut very close to his skull and he was wearing glasses with thick lenses and wiry frames that looked like they had been bent out and into shape in many places. He gazed at Aaron calmy and Aaron tried not to fidgit between his brothers weighty gaze and the beginnings of withdrawal crawling up his spine. Tilda had been gazing at Andrew as well with borderline trepidation before she realised what she was doing and marched them to the car. 

Much to her dismay, Higgins followed, saying that he’d like to see Andrew settled before he checked into his hotel. Most of the legal side was sorted so he’d check back in with Andrew the day after and then fly back to San Francisco.

Tilda had not been expecting visitors apart from Andrew. And she had not seen fit to clean up the house for Andrew’s arrival. Aaron had bought the twin beds for him and Andrew to share and had built two sets of drawers for their clothes. He’d tidied up their room but the living room was a lost cause. Tilda hurried into the house ahead of them, probably to kick any drug paraphernalia under the couch before the police officer saw it. 

Higgins gave the living room a cursory glance and then followed Aaron to what would be the twin’s room. Andrew dumped his bag on the bed Aaron told him was his and took out a cat bed, two bowls, a grooming brush and a bright orange squeaky mouse toy. He filled one of the bowls with dry biscuits and left the room with the other, probably for water. Fireball sniffed Andrew’s bed and then curled up on the pillow, ignoring the perfectly sevicable cat bed on the floor. 

Andrew shot the cat a fed up look when he entered and Higgins sniggered. Andrew shot him a glare and set down the water bowl with a thump, causing the water to splash over the sides. The cat sat up and looked at Andrew. It leaped off the bed with feline agility and started slurping up water. 

Andrew, Aaron and Higgins left the cat to it and entered the living room to see Tilda smoking a cigarette and halfheartedly dusting the clutter in the room. Higgins gave a small cough. 

“Ms Minyard, I would appreciate if you would smoke any cigarettes outside so as not to harm Aaron and Andrew via second hand smoke.” 

“Sure.” Said Tilda easily, stubbing out her cigarette on the coffee table, knowing full well she wouldn’t even bother to try.

Higgins left them to the most awkward family dinner ever. Afterwards Aaron hurried Andrew into their room so Tilda count get drunk without an interactive audience. The cat was sleeping on Andrew’s pillow but woke when they entered the room.

“Get off, pest.” Andrew muttered, lifting the cat off his bed and onto the floor. 

The cat started purring loudly and leaped straight onto Andrew’s lap. He sighed in defeat. 

Aaron snorted, “He’s got you pretty whipped, huh? Can’t blame you, he’s quite cute for a feral animal.” 

“He’s not feral.” Andrew answered bluntly, he was gently stroking the cats head, much to the cats ecstatic joy. “So you like to read.” Andrew said nodding at the books hastily shoved under Aaron’s bed.

“Oh. Uh, yeah.” Aaron scratched the back of his head. “I really like sci-fi. And science in general. I wanna be a doctor, if my grades get better.” 

Andrew hummed, “I like sci-fi. Hate actual science though.” 

“What do you wanna do?” Aaron asked.

“Dunno.” Said Andrew. “Something interesting.” 

“Do you play exy?” Aaron asked spotting a bit of familiar body armor peaking out of Andrew’s bag. 

“Yeah. Goalkeeper. You?”

Aaron nodded, “Backliner. It’s kinda boring but you get good scholarships.” 

Andrew snorted, “No one ever agrees with me that its the most boring sport ever invented.” 

“Why play then? If you’re not thinking about college?” 

“It passes the time.” 

Over the next two months Andrew started to open up a bit more to Aaron. They walked around the neighbourhood and hung out in the park no one ever went to because it was shit, just because no one else was there and it got them out of the house. 

Having two mouths to feed that weren’t her own seemed to put a strain on Tilda. Her blonde hair dye seemed to fade faster leaving her with grey streaks. Her skin started to sink into her face till you could see her skull through the folds of skin. She started wheezing as she moved round the house and if either of them got in her way she was quick to lash out. Andrew had caught her wrist the first time she tried to hit him. After that he had started dragging Aaron out the house before she woke up and staying out until she’d passed out again. 

Andrew and Aaron started doing yard work and car washing for people on their street to get enough money to buy them food while they were avoiding going home. By the time the summer ended a middle aged woman on their street took pity on them and hired them as dishwashers for her diner. Aaron wasnt strictly sure it was legal but he got money and free lunch so he wasn’t going to tell anyone. 

Andrew started school with him in the fall along with Fireball. Generally people were weirded out that there were now two very small blond boys with the same face rather than one, they got over it pretty quickly since there were other, more talkative twins in the school. Aaron didn’t actually have many friends curtesy of his surly disposition so he and Andrew and Fireball sat and ate lunch at a table alone. People were interested in Fireball, particularly the girls in their classes. Andrew’s blunt answers and silences generally drove them away. And the fact they weren't allowed to pet him. 

A possibly intended side effect of staying out of the house all summer was that Andrew had effectively forced him through withdrawal. He’d dragged him out the house before breakfast every morning so he couldn’t take anything then. They didn’t go home until Tilda had definitely passed out or gone to bed so Aaron couldn’t take anything then either. And any time he tried to sneak out their room Fireball would hiss and wake Andrew up. Now that Aaron was clean, he could actually focus on his school work and his grades slowly started improving. 

In their first gym class of the year they were given the now compulsory “don’t cheat using magic” class. Aaron didn't know what the point was, if anyone was registered as having magic the school would know and probably ban them from playing at all. 

Aaron’s exy stats started improving as well, clearly not being high or in withdrawal improved your stamina and strength. His reaction times were getting better too, nothing close to Andrew’s though. Their coach had looked starstruck at Andrew’s try out. Andrew already had way bigger muscles than Aaron, but it had still shocked him along with everyone else when the first shot made at Andrew’s goal was rebounded hard enough by Andrew that he scored straight down into the opposite goal. Aaron didn’t think there was even a term for that. Andrew batted away attempts on him like they were in slow motion. No one had scored on him yet. He was spotting Aaron in the gym helping him put muscle mass on. Fireball sat on the bench and slept most of the time. 

Nicky would have been on the team with them but he’d taken part in some kind of exchange program this year in Germany. So it was just Andrew and Aaron. 

They quickly became an unstoppable team, Aaron stopped almost all the opposing strikers they played against getting anywhere near the goal, and smacked away any shots they made. Any strikers that made it past him or the other backliners were met by Andrew’s solid defense. Aaron started being able to predict where strikers were going and what shots they would make and was able to bat them away at high speed to his own dealer and strikers. 

 

Two years later nothing much had changed, the twins hadn't grown at all but Fireball had, Tilda had steadily been getting worse, Nicky had remained in Germany. Aaron and Andrew didn't really know why but Luther seemed even more angry and Maria a bit lost and sad. Higgins still regularly called to check in on them, he always chatted to Aaron as well which was nice, asking them about school and exy and their jobs. They still worked at Sweeties Diner, which brought in some extra money. 

Then, at the start of the summer the year they would turn 16, Tilda overdosed. She had been found in an alley somewhere with a tourniquet round her arm and enough drugs in her to kill a horse. Neither Andrew or Aaron were particularly shocked, she’d been spiraling since Andrew had arrived. Aaron was upset but he had to admit that she was not a good mother to him or Andrew. He really didn’t want to live with Luther though.  
When Andrew had had dinner at the Hemmick’s house the first time Luther had grilled him about his religious upbringing. Andrew had told him, truthfully, that none of the homes he’d been in had been religious. Only one had ever taken him to church and it was for a funeral of the husbands mistress. Luther had been appalled and they’d been forced to go to church every Sunday since. It turned out Luthers tirades were much less bearable when sober. 

It also turned out, according to the congregation, that Nicky had stayed in Germany because he had found a German boyfriend and “decided” to “turn gay again” and that when Aaron had moved from California he’d just spent time in a conversion camp. After two years of hearing Andrew mock everything Luther ranted against under his breath during sermons, Aaron had reconsidered his views on many things. 

Higgins flew in from California for the funeral and to sort out what to do about Andrew and Aaron. Luther had assumed that he would get custody but had never bothered to fill out any of the paperwork so when Nicky flew in looking pale due to the German winter and the 12 hour flight and had claimed custody of the twins after citing his fathers abusive tendencies and bigotry as reasons why he shouldn’t get custody, Luther was enraged and shocked. Nicky had won custody of the twins easily with Higgins help. 

Using the profit from selling the bungalow and some of Tilda’s life insurance, Nicky bought a house in the suburbs of Columbia far, far away from his parents. He, Andrew, Aaron and Fireball all moved in in late June. Andrew burned all of Tilda’s pills, including the wooden box before they left. 

Using the other part of Tilda’s life insurance, Andrew bought a ridiculously expensive car.  
Nicky was much happier than the last time they’d seen him, always smiling and laughing and talking at a mile a minute. They had a bedroom each, Andrew had chosen the one on the ground floor, whereas Nicky and Aaron were on the first floor. They had a den and a kitchen and a porch and even a yard which Andrew was slowly fixing up when he wasn't at work. 

Nicky had gotten a job at Sweeties as well to help pay the bills and also worked nights at a club called Eden’s Twilight. Fireball, as far as Aaron and Nicky could tell, slept and ate food and then ate their food out the fridge which he had worked out how to open. Nicky swore he always ate his food, but Aaron had only ever seen him eat food he’d specifically kept for himself. Andrew said it was a cat and was probably eaiting anything that smelled good. And stuff that didn't smell good. And stuff that wasn't strictly edible. He called it a stupid cat. Fireball then shredded all of Andrew's plain black shirts in retaliation. Or not. Since it was a cat. 

Nicky had been taking classes at the local mage centre. He’d informed them that while in Germany he’d discovered his latent magic. Magic was pretty dull, not too many people had it but it was mostly hereditary, there were lots of laws banning its use for anything that ordinary people couldn't use it for and anything that was seen as amoral. The teaching and training was left to the mages. 

Mage centers were in most towns and offered courses for controlling magic and other things that Aaron never bothered to find out about since no one he knew had magic and they tended to hide it if they did. Luther always went on about how it was Satan’s power and evil and should not be used. It was surprising that he’d then married Maria, who according to Nicky, must have some magic, latent or not, since he did and he’d been told that he some distinctions that suggested his genetic line of magicc originated in South America. 

It was pretty cool. Nicky could only change the colors of liquids and guess which card was coming in the deck, which would be useful for card counting and gambling, except that was illegal and Nicky didn't know how to play cards. He claimed he wouldnt be able to do the maths anyway because he was gay. So they mostly ignored it. Andrew appeared deeply uninterested. He always looked that way actually. But still. Aaron thought their magic cousin might inspire some kind of reaction. 

At one of Andrew and Aaron’s last high school games, Riko Moriyama and Kevin Day showed up to personally invite them to join the Ravens. Andrew disrespectfully declined before Aaron could pick his jaw up off the floor. 

“Why did you do that?” Aaron snapped. “You know I want a full ride scholarship! Its the only reason I play this godforsaken sport!” 

“They don't give full rides.” Andrew said. “We’ll get a better deal somewhere else. The Ravens are weird anyway.” Aaron had been angry for a whike until he realized that when you’d been scouted by the Ravens you were definitely going to get other offers.

The next week Aaron and Andrew were waiting to pick up Nicky from his shift at Eden’s when they heard yelling. They found Nicky being beaten up by four men in the alley behind the club. Andrew charged before Aaron could do anything, taking out the four men with well aimed punches. 

“Phone the police!” He yelled at Aaron who was frozen watching the scene. 

He’d just dialed 911 when an orange blur went streaking past him. Fireball launched himself at one of the men Andrew was fighting scratching his face and hissing. Andrew peeled him off the guy’s face and kicked him to the ground. He went to check on Nicky while Aaron told the operator what was happening. 

The four men were arrested and charged with Aggravated Assault. They didn’t press charges against Andrew. The cops said it was self defense anyway, and that it wasn’t Andrews fault his cat had attacked. 

When they got an offer from David Wymack to join the Palmetto State Foxes, they took it. They had full rides and, since it was the worst school in the Class I league, they wouldn’t t have to work too hard. Nicky took the place he was offered too. 

They had to meet the team before they could move into their shared dorm. Nicky had decided to wear a shirt that basically said “I’m gay” Andrew wore all black and Aaron wore his least scruffy pair of jeans. 

There were some barbed comments about Nicky’s shirt from the group of guys crushed onto a sofa together but everyone was distracted by Fireball fighting with one of the team’s, Matt Aaron thought he was called, shoe laces. Hissing and rolling about on the floor. That broke the ice although there were some questions about Fireball which Nicky fielded off since Andrew would just stare at people when they asked. One of the girls, Renee, was watching them very intently. She had a cross necklace and rainbow colored hair which Aaron thought was incongruous. 

Any questions about the cousins worth were quashed on the first day when no one could score a goal past Aaron and Andrew. Andrew and Renee seemed to become friends quite quickly and would disappear on Sunday’s to fight in the basement of fox tower. 

It was on the last game before the Winter Banquet when Aaron noticed. College exy really was a step up from high school. The strikers were way bigger than Aaron and much stronger than the teenagers he was used to holding back. Thats why he noticed when a ball went flying away from him that he knew his racquet hadn't touched. It had been close, it probably looked like he had hit it to anyone watching, but he knew he hadn’t felt anything connect. Andrew was watching him with interest, which was a first. He could hear it every time Andrew hit a ball because it sounded like he was trying to snap his racquet or the ball in half. 

He was still freaking out at the end of the match, the foxes won 7-4, Andrew cornered him in the changing room when everyone had left. 

“So you finally noticed?” Andrew raised an eyebrow, along with stroking his cat he looked like a bad off-brand bond villain. 

“What do you mean finally?” Aaron asked in bewilderment. 

“Aaron.” said Andrew with the air of explaining something very simple to a child. “We have magic. Your mother fed you suppressants every day to quell it. Now you’ve been off them for a while, your powers have been growing stronger. You never noticed because you were only using it subconsciously for studying. And exy.” Andrew said with a look of disgust. “I assume Tilda was also magic and has been suppressed by her brother and herself since she was young. I think thats what finished her off. Unused power was festering and it killed her. Don’t be like her.” 

“Why didn't you say anything?” Aaron demanded 

“Would you have believed me?” Andrew countered. 

“No.” Aaron admitted. 

“Guys what’s taking so long?” Nicky burst in whining. “I wanna get drunk come on lets goooooo.” 

The winter banquet was relatively uneventful. Apart from Kevin Day and his broken left hand hitchhiking home with them. Aaron stayed behind with Abby and Nicky to try and help Kevin heal, Aaron because he was pre-med and helped Abby with sterilizing and stitching wounds, Nicky because he knew a small amount of healing magic.  
When they arrived at their dorm it sounded like Andrew was having an argument. 

“-Can’t be here Andrew!” Someone was saying 

When Aaron opened the door a man a few inches taller than Andrew with auburn hair and blue eyes was facing Andrew, looking agitated. When he turned and saw Aaron and Nicky he yelped and turned into a cat. Not just any cat. Fireball. 

“WHAT THE FUCK!?” Aaron yelled. “WHY THE FUCK CAN YOUR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT CAT BECOME A MAN?” 

“Its more emotionally supportive.” Said Andrew, rolling his eyes. “He’s my familiar. Yes they exist, he would normally always be in his human form but then he couldn't live with me, his name is Neil, no you still can’t pet him. Or tell anyone.” 

Aaron and Nicky were too busy staring shocked between Andrew and the ca- Firebal- Neil. Neil transformed back into a person and waved sheepishly. 

“Hello.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed please leave a comment! If you think anything sounds a bit off I am not American, I guessed most things and I only scanned it once it was done! If you see any mistakes let me know.  
> Feel free to say hello my tumblr is @onfoxhills


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